Hunger Games: Rue's Side
by Kittycat32
Summary: You read about Katniss. Now what about Rue? What did she go through?
1. Chapter 1: The Reaping

My name is Rue.

I am 12 years old, and I am the oldest of six kids, and I try my best to provide for them.

I live in District 11, the agriculture district.

Other districts think we have food, the comfort of a full belly every night.

But for me and everyone else I know in this district, plentiful food is hard to come by.

I work in the orchards as someone who climbs up to the highest tops of the trees.

Sometimes I think that up there is the only place I can be myself.

I've never really had any friends, besides the mockingjays I sing to during the day.

But most importantly, today is the reaping day.

The day where two kids ranging 12-18 go get killed in a bloody ruthless battle just to show us that the Capitol has total control.

I absolutely hate it.

But theres nothing I can do about it either. I'm just a 12 year old girl trying to get through life, day by day, hour by hour, until the day I die. Just as everyone else.

Its probably about dawn now, as I sit on the highest branch of the tallest tree, with birds flitting around, eating the cherries that if I even move an inch toward my mouth, I will be punished ruthlessly by the cruel whips of the so called "peacekeepers".

The sun shines directly at me. Time to go home.

I get to the exit of the orchard, and hold out my arms, waiting for peacekeepers to roughly look for any hidden food that I could have put away under my thin clothes. Not like I'd try. Last time I saw someone try to steal before, they were shot.

After the peacekeepers make sure I haven't stolen anything, I head home. Our house is a small hut, much too small for 6 kids and two parents. Only the youngest or the sickest sleep on the one bed, the rest on mats on the floor. When I come in, my mother is making breakfast, the usual crescent roll with the seeds. I took mine off the plate, and ate it quickly. We were saving the rest of our food for after the reaping, where we are supposed to celebrate. I've already asked for my tesserae, enough to feed everyone in my family.

Of course that also means that my name will be put in 8 more times.

"Rue, it's time to go to the center square for the reaping."

I slip into my dress, a light blue feathery looking dress, that if I went up in a tree, would be ruined in seconds.

I walk into the square, and into the section for 12 year olds. Even next to kids my age, I'm still small around them. I look at the older kids and I see Thresh, a person like me, no friends, someone who works in the grains. But he is also huge. I have never seen someone so big. He could have held me in one hand.

Before I can think anymore, Lia, the escort to the Capitol, began the normal speech that they tell each district about how it is an honor of every tribute taken to the Capitol and how proud they should be. I force myself to zone it out.

Finally its time for the reaping to begin. Lia starts with the boys. "Thresh Stayron"

He stands up, and lumbers toward stage, and grunts at Lia. Lia looks so different. Her purple hair curls perectly around her face, with almond shaped green eyes and long curved fingernails. Thresh, tall, dark-skinned and stockily built.

"now for the girls". I wait anxiously, and I feel the stare of my family as the whole district holds their breath.

"Rue Lovalle"

All I can think of is, "what about my family?"

This is not good.


	2. Chapter 2: Saying Our Last Goodbyes

_**Special Thanks to my awesome Beta Reader Team Rebel! **_

_**Also to my bfff for looking it over and awesome support**_

_**I don't own anything, the awesome plot is by Suzanne Collins**_

_**Thanks also to Mythical Words!**_

"Rue Lovalle, please come up onto the stage," Lia says again.

I feel my legs moving forward and my face steel up as I hear the sounds of my family whimpering, but they say nothing. Not even the strength of a family can fight the guns of the peacekeepers.

Lia waits for me to walk up the stage and shake hands with Thresh. My hand doesn't even fit around his pinkie finger, and I feel the massive strength even when he is being careful not to crush my tiny hand.

I do not want to meet him in the arena as an enemy.

Lia introduces me to Viaro. He had won the Hunger Games thirty years ago. He looked very shaky from the morphine that he took almost every day. Each winner always did something different whether it was alcohol, morphine, or some other coping drug, to help them forget what happened during the Games.

Viaro's eyes were watery, and he was pale and shaky all over. I could see that he would be no help to me during the games.

It wasn't like I would have a chance anyway. The Careers usually won, unless something happened to their food or someone else was very strong or cunning. After all, the last person who won was Viaro, and now he's forty-eight.

The peacekeepers take us to the room where are families can say goodbye. Immediately, my family comes pouring in, and the littlest, Rana, climbs into my lap. She knows that I have to leave, even if she doesn't exactly understand why or what's going to happen to me. My mother looks at me, her eyes tearing up, and slowly reaches around her neck to take out a necklace made from woven grass with a roughly carved wooden star at the end. My breath catches as I recognize the necklace my father made for my mother when they were little, about my age in fact, to show her how much he liked her. My mother hasn't taken it off since she got it, and has been her pride and joy for more then fifteen years. To give it to me, when I go into the arena, is her way of saying that she loves me more than anything.

I put Rana on the floor and run over, silent tears running down my face, and my family and I embrace, probably for the last time. The family crowds around, and I inhale the scent of the family, knowing that this memory will stay with me when I am at the arena.

Sitting back down, my family crowds around, and Rana, tears streaming down her face, says one word.

"Sing."

My family loves to sing. They sing about everything; about life, hardship, happiness… everything.

So much will be lost when I leave, that I want their memories of me to be filled with happiness.

"_Do you hear?_

_The leaves in the wind_

_The lovely sound_

_Of birds chattering_

_See the light_

_Dappling through the trees_

_Let you heart swell_

_As you feel_

_The love_

_Oh the love_

_Of family"_

My voice breaks off then, and my whole family is crying. I tell each of them that I love them, and how much they mean to me. I say that they can make it through without me. My tesserae will keep them going.

The peacekeepers come in, and we are pulled apart. Rana tries to hold onto me, but the peacekeepers push her to the ground. My mother scoops her up, and as the door closes I see Rana desperately trying to scramble out of our mother's arms. I watch until the door closes, shut my eyes at the pain of my aching heart, and the train takes me away.


	3. Chapter 3: Interesting Train Ride

_**Special thanks to Team Rebel, who is an awesome beta reader**_

_**Also to my bfff for some editing tips**_

_**And to Mythical Words for urging me to finsh quickly lol**_

_**I own nothing, all to the author Suzanne Collins**_

"Rue."

I ignore her.

"Rue, get up. It's time to eat," says Lia, a little more forcefully this time.

I heave myself up from my bed, the softest thing I have ever slept on. My new silk dress had become ruffled during the night, and I smooth it out, so the light shines on it and makes the room around me sparkle. I look around in wonder, searching the luxurious room for any sign of familiarity that I was accustomed to at home. There was no dirt anywhere, no sound of children or happiness. Already, I was homesick.

I walk out of the room and into the dining center. All the food I can dream of is set up in front of me. Already, Thresh is greedily eating everything in sight. It's smart of him to do so. In the Games, many tributes die of starvation and it's not pretty. Many go crazy looking for food, eating strange poisonous berries, or walking straight into a trap to feed their rumbling stomach. I fill my plate with buttery white rolls, a large tureen of fruit, and meat from some kind of fowl. Perhaps it is chicken, but I haven't tasted chicken in years. Then, I choose a glass of water and a deep, rich, looking brown liquid that smells almost heavenly, with white steam curling off it into the air. I cautiously take a sip, and even if it is scalding hot, it tastes of chocolate,_ chocolate, _something I have only tried once in my life. That was when my father sold a family possession, and brought back a bar of chocolate. Each family member got a nibble of it, and when I was nine, it was the best thing in the world.

I forced the painful family memory down, and went on to my other food, determined to eat everything else first. The chocolate I was saving for last. My body wasn't used to the richness of the food, and after I had finished everything, including the hot liquid chocolate, my belly felt like it was about to explode. Thresh didn't look much better either, leaning back on his chair, stomach bulging.

Lia struts in haughtily, with Viaro staggering behind her. Lia looks at us with disgust all over her face. "Filthy commoners," she mumbles, and my eyes flash with anger. How dare she label us with something that wasn't even our fault. She wouldn't survive a week in District 11, working as hard as she could for every morsel of food. She was accustomed to the soft life of the Capitol, probably loathing that she was placed as an escort for District 11, where no one won the Games. I turn my head from her in distaste.

Viaro, on the other hand, looks like he slightly overdosed on morphine, and is swinging back and forth, his eyes half closed. "Y-you have s-spunk girl," he says. I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, but he wobbles over to me and puts his arm around my shoulder. I shy away from his strong medicinal odor, but he promptly loses his balance and slips into a drug induced sleep right on the ground below me. Two guards I didn't see come and lift him up to bring him back to his bed. From the ease at which they do this, I expect that Viaro faints a lot.

I here low grunts coming from across the table and see Thresh shaking with laughter at the revulsion shown clearly on my face. "He will not help much," mutters Thresh, in a strangely quiet voice for someone so big and muscular as he is. I laugh along with him, my high-pitched giggles harmonizing with his low bass. Lia looks at us incredulously, but says nothing.

I think of what she sees: a delicate, small twelve year old girl, laughing freely with a huge eighteen year old boy, a potentially life threatening guy, as if we had no worries in the world. The irony of our situation makes me laugh harder, and I sense Thresh was thinking the same thoughts.

Wanting to move on, Lia says, "Enough fooling around; it's time to get down to business. We want you ready for the Games. To start off, you'll need basic training and skills. What can you do that could possibly save your miserable lives in the Arena?"

Thresh just grunts, a typical guy thing to do that I'll never understand.

"I can climb through and up trees pretty fast, and leaping from tree to tree is very easy. I'm also good with a slingshot, but it doesn't do much damage." I can already tell halfway through speaking that Lia doesn't really care. With my small size and no offensive skills, I will be killed off quickly and easily. I can only beat them with wits alone, and playing with minds is a dangerous game.

She quickly moves on to Thresh, who has much more of a chance of winning and getting more sponsors than I do. Lia doesn't need to ask what his skills are. The muscles flex on his arms, and the shirt he is wearing is too small, skin tight, probably the biggest size there was. He has a deep set face that has a sinister look, even if he wasn't trying. If the Careers are killed off quickly in the Arena, he has a very big sporting chance at winning. For that I'm happy, because at least our district will eat plentifully for the first time in thirty years.

Lia is clearly finished with us, and leaves the room. I turn my attention to the huge TV screen, and see my competition for the first time. Every one of them is bigger then me, and there is someone named Cato, almost as big as Thresh, but he has the face of a cold-blooded murderer. I see no allies until I get to District 12. Like District 11, they aren't very good at winning the Games. Haymitch, the last person to win the Hunger Games is obviously drunk, careening around the stage. What catches my attention is what happens when the girls are picked.

"Primrose Everdeen," says Effie, the District 12 escort.

I watch as another twelve year old girl, just like me, walks towards the stage.

"No!" shouts a voice, and a girl about sixteen years old runs in front of her. They show no family resemblance, but I can tell from the protective stance that they are sisters. Her jet black hair is braided down her back, and her green dress blows in the wind.

"I volunteer!" She shouts, and a boy, about eighteen, walks up behind them and grabs Primrose. She kicks and squirms to get out of his grip, but he holds on, and says words too low to catch. The older girl walks up onto the stage, where Effie congratulates her.

"What is your name?" asks Effie.

"Katniss Everdeen," says the girl in a hard voice, and I know I will remember that name and this girl.

Effie asks for applause, but the crowd does nothing. I recognize it as a sign of rebellion, and feel a wave of affection for these people I don't know. They refuse to accept this as right, and lift their three middle fingers to their lips and push them towards Katniss, probably a sign of respect and honor in their community.

The boy, Peeta I think is name was, is chosen and the screen goes black.

A speaker coming from somewhere above me announces, "We are now entering the Capitol."

I feel the train slow and stop, and the doors open into the huge city.

_This is going to be fun_, I think sarcastically, and step out of the train as a wave of cheering erupts from the waiting crowd.


	4. Chapter 4: Meeting The Prep Team

I am overwhelmed by the crowd, and the cheering is deafening. The guards push through the crowds with me walking after them. Behind me is Thresh.

The Capitol citizens catch a glimpse of me, and immediately their happy faces drop, if only just for an instance when they all realize that I'm not going to do much in the Arena. Then, they spot Thresh lumbering behind me and their cheers get louder again as they realize what a good competitor he will make. I see people trying to reach us by jumping over others, as if we were the greatest, most magnificent human beings in the world. Again I wonder, as I have many times, if their brains were too small to comprehend that innocent kids were dying and this all wasn't just some sort of game show.

We walk into the Training building, and immediately I am pulled away from Thresh to meet my prep team. I don't really care for looks, always being in trees, and things tend to stick in my hair.

I am brought into a room that has three people in it. A tiny turquoise woman with lime green hair introduces herself as Carna. There's also a hot pink spiky haired guy with deep purple eye shadow that went all he way around his eyes, making him look like a startled raccoon. He introduces himself as Neo. The last person is the strangest, a very tall man with neon yellow hair, with skin that is dyed yellow. I get the feeling he wanted to be the sun. His name was Sunuko. Ah, how fitting.

They push me into a shower, and press some buttons that make steam come out of the walls and a hot drizzle of water to come out of the hosepipe. I am then sprayed with a stinging liquid that smells like the medicine house of District 11. I guess it's some kind of sterilizing anti bacterial fluid. The water washes it off, and I am once again sprayed with a fine mist that smells like apples in the fall, cooling my burning skin after the sterilizer. The water stops, and I am pushed out again. Carna instructs me to put my finger on a small pad. I do, and my wiry hair is instantly detangled and dried. They then go to work plucking and waxing every hair on my body, making me feel like a peeled potato, ready to plop into some soup.

"Ahh finally," says Neo. "Tara is ready to see you now." They leave the room, and I put on a robe, feeling self-conscious. I wonder if Thresh is going through the same thing. I laugh at the thought of him towering over his prep team, and wonder what's taking Tara, whoever she was, so long. Finally the door opens and in comes a woman, probably no older then twenty, with dark brown hair and freckles over her face, dressed in jeans and a v-neck. The only thing I see on her that's remotely related to the Capitol's strange fashion is the green eye shadow that brings out the gold tints in her hazel eyes. She is the first remotely normal person I have seen since arriving, and my spirits lift as I hope she's finally someone decent to talk to. Her face is in a real smile, not like the ones I saw on Lia, or the Capitol citizens when they spotted me, but a wholehearted smile that is welcoming and warm.

"Come on," says Tara. "Stand up, so I can get a good look at you." She looks me over, and, apparently thinking it was adequate enough, sends me off to my room.

I go into the elevator and press the button 11. I reach my room and fall into bed. The last thought I have is, _I wonder how my family is doing. _Then, I fall into a deep slumber.


	5. Chapter 5: Breakfast Or Brokenfast?

I wake up the next morning feeling refreshed from my long train ride.

There is a shower in by room, covered with buttons; so many that I don't know which ones to punch, so I randomly pick three.

Bad idea. Very bad idea.

First, I am bombarded with gel balls of soap that smells like feet, and then a sticky liquid drips into my hair and down my face. Finally, the water turns ice cold and I shiver like crazy until it shuts off. Tentatively, I touch what I think is the hot water button, and fortunately it is.

After showering and putting my hand to the strange device that dries and untangles my hair, I head down for breakfast. A huge buffet of food is out, and I see Thresh leaning over one of the pots of food. Taking a plate, I head down the line.

A mug of hot chocolate here, a roll there, and some fruit down the line, and my plates full to the brim. Thresh is at the other end of the table scarfing down is food, not even bothering with the knife and fork beside him.

My family may not have much, but my father grew up on the richer side of town and was taught how to eat properly, which he passed down to us children.

I eat quietly at the end of the table, glancing back to see if Tara, Lia, or Viaro come in, and hoping for a way to break the awkward silence as Thresh and I eat. Of course, the minute I finish eating, Lia walks in. She sees Thresh scarfing his food down, and wrinkles her nose. I continue to push my leftovers around on my plate, waiting for her to say something.

Clearing her throat, she yells, "Avox!" I flinch at her cold voice as servant comes and bows to her. "Clean up these plates!"

He walks over and takes my plate.

"Thank you," I say to him.

"Rue!" Lia snaps. "Don't ever talk to an avox, unless it's an order."

My eyes widened in surprise, and I steal a glance at the man walking away with plate.

"He was punished for crimes against the Capitol, and his tongue was cut off and made an Avox. He's even lower then you District scum."

I stiffen with anger as her leer seeps into me. How _dare_ she call us scum. I realize that I hate her. I've never hated anyone before, either. Of course there were people that I didn't like, but never actually hated. The popular people in school, who got everything, usually the townspeople and shop owner kids... I didn't like them. The way Lia talked over me, like I was a wild animal. It sickens me, because that's how I think of her... an animal that had been trapped in a corner. Always growling, trying to make herself bigger, better, to scare off enemies. She was actually doing it too.

"Don't talk to me like that!" I yell, my vision turning red with anger.

Lia's eyes flash with anger, she lifts her hand, and slaps me across the face. I cry out in pain, and my eyes blur in tears.

I look up and stare at her defiantly. She will not, can not break me. I am about to stand up when suddenly, Lia flies across the room and hits the wall with a sickening thud. She crumples to the floor and lies there, motionless. I have no idea if she was breathing.

My shallow breath is shaky and wheezy. I look up, and see Thresh, his arm still out from when he had punched Lia. He looks down at me and his eyes soften. The anger made his eyes black, but they lighten to the usual brown. "She had no right to hit you for speaking out," is all he says, and then lumbers out of the room as if nothing happened.

My legs are shaking, and I realize that I had stood up. I collapse back onto my chair, and stare at Lia. I can see her breathing now, and watch as three avox run into the room with a stretcher. They lift her gently, put her on the stretcher, and walk out of the room.

As she is carried by, I see she is conscious, and is glaring at me with a mixture of fear and hatred. I shiver at the coldness of the stare, but don't break away. This isn't the last I will see of Lia. Next time, I will be ready. I don't need Thresh to protect me, even though it is certainly nice. I walk out of the room and back to my bedroom. In the mirror, I see a red mark from my chin to my eye on my left side. I collapse onto the bed, shaking. The last thing I think of as I drift into unconsciousness the sickening sound of Lia hitting the wall.


	6. Chapter 6: I'm On The Carriage Road

"Rue," says a voice gently. "Rue! Rue, come on, wake up."

I smile slowly, thinking my mother is waking me up for a small breakfast of fruit and bread. But the voice seems wrong. Too high-pitched, too clear and sweet, this is not my mother's soft voice. I open my eyes and find Tara standing over me, gently shaking my shoulder. Yesterday's events come rushing back and jolt me out of my sleepy state. I tense, waiting for some sort of verdict, as a punishment for what I've done, or what Thresh has done. I stare into the clear hazel eyes of Tara and my stomach is clenched with anxiety.

"Don't worry," Tara soothes, brushing my sleep-tangled hair back from my face. "We just need to get ready for the opening ceremony. I'll be waiting downstairs for you. You can find your clothes in the drawer by the mirror." She hurriedly leaves the room, and I slip out of bed to get dressed. I ignore the elegant clothes, made of soft silky material; I grab a shirt and pants. Their simple style reminds me of home, and the sense of familiarity engulfs me, but even the crisp cotton is too clean and new for comfort.

I order a mug of hot chocolate and some more buttery rolls in my room. They appear quickly, and I gulp down the liquid heaven, stopping only for bites of a delicious, flaky roll. I am ready to face the day now. Stepping out of my room, I see Thresh lumbering ahead of me with his prep leader, Vango, a guy dyed a violent shade of purple, and sporting jet black hair. A sudden feeling of giddiness comes over me, and I yell "Good luck, Thresh!" He turns, lifts his large hand in acknowledgment, and, with a nervous glance back at me, leaves the room.

Tara is leaning against the doorway. Dressed in her usual violet v-neck shirt and jeans, she beckons me to follow her. My prep team is there, Carna jumping up and down with excitement, her lime green hair bouncing back and forth against her turqiuose skin, making it look like the ocean, the hair being seaweed, and the water waving back and forth. Neo is sitting in a chair his hot pink hair drooping around his raccoon-like eyes. Sunuko is leaning against the wall, brightening up the room, even if his faced looks sad and depressed. He towers over me, and even though I know he won't hurt me, I cower towards Tara, who stands comfortingly close behind me.

They put me in the shower with the evil buttons again, and I am covered with a thick orange layer, turning my skin yellowish underneath, until brushes come and scrub it all off, taking half of my skin with it. My hair is serenaded with a rose smelling conditioner that washes out easily. The water shuts off and I step out, instantly surrounded by my prep team who primps me with various creams and liquids, too many to even count. I am stuffed into a sapling costume, with small branches and leaves sticking out at odd angles. I look in the mirror and gasp. My face is beautiful, a light red gloss over my lips, my cheeks brushed with a delicate pink, so soft that a feather could have done it. Finally, I look at my eyes, which are large and beautiful, light sparkling inside them, the color of the hot chocolate I drank earlier, warm and inviting. I stare at Tara wonderingly, silently thanking her. She smiles, curling her hair absently around her finger.

I am led into the waiting room, where I see Thresh in a costume that looks much like the grains in the fields in my District, and they appear to be waving in an imaginary wind. I smile at him, and step onto our carriage, looking around at the other tributes. My eyes fall on Katniss, who is glancing around nervously, whispering to Peeta, who is standing next to her, both in a black skin tight suit with a fiery looking cape. I see their prep team coming over and lighting the cape on fire, and I figure out their worries. They'll burn to a crisp! Before I can do anything though, my carriage moves forward, and I am outside the room, the screaming crowds of Capitol citizens screaming and Thresh's and my name. I wave at the crowd, and their screams get louder, chanting "Rue! Rue!" until the door closes behind me and Tara lifts me down from the chariot. I undress in my room after, and fatigue hits me. I stumble towards my bed and slip into unconsciousness when my head touches the pillow.


	7. Chapter 7: Training Day

I groan as I wake up. Today was training day. I've never really had much skill, being my size, but years of swinging through trees have left me strong and wiry. But that will only help me if there are trees. I remember the Games that happened when I was about seven. There was only a huge field, and almost nowhere to hide. Tributes were either freezing to death from the lack of wood, or starving from the lack of food. That was one of the worst Hunger Games I have ever seen. I still have nightmares about it.

"Come on, wake up!"

I jump when Tara walked into my room.

"It's a big day! Training starts!"

Viaro stumbles in behind Tara, looking as pale and shaky as usual. He has given my no advice at all, even though I will soon be fighting to my death in a matter of days. His salt and pepper hair is messy, as though a rat's nest had been there. His eyes are moving nervously around and are tearing up. I sigh. Looks like another overdose. If this is what happens after you win the Games, then I think I'd rather die in the Arena. But it's my family that keeps me going. They are hoping that somehow, some way, I'll make it through. Even if I don't have a lot of hope for myself, I keep my spirits up, just for them. Tara lays out what I'm going to wear for the day. A skin tight light purple running suit, perfect for the training arena. I smile at her, grateful that at least one person cares for me here.

Tara takes Thresh and I to the training arena, where we are left to practice fighting and show off to judges milling around. I spot Katniss and Peeta going from station to station, and finally stopping at the rope tying, which doesn't seem so special or important until I realize their plan. They are going to show off their skills in private, when the Game Makers are focused only on them. I look around at the different stations and none of them particularly appeal to me, except for the small climbing course, which of course is my best skill, and not something I'm going to show to everyone else.

I begin to follow Katniss and Peeta around, easily passing the herbs test, and hitting the target every time with my slingshot. Even if the slingshot isn't going to make anything more then a bruise on my opponent, especially not tributes like Cato, it might give me enough of a distraction to get away and climb a tree. I pop in whenever I see Katniss and Peeta in the middle of training, hoping they wouldn't notice me, but it won't last long. At the How to Make a Fire training stop, Peeta looks up and notices me, and he whispers something in Katniss' ear. She looks up at me, her gray eyes scanning me, but quickly her eyebrows crease together, and I know she feels bad for me, a 12 year old who can't even tip the scale at eighty pounds. Her eyes melt, probably seeing her sister Primrose in me. We are so alike, in a way, yet so different.

I finish making a fire, and quickly leave before Katniss and Peeta assume anything else. I sigh, and feel lonely, no one to talk to, not even Thresh, whom is busy maiming a dummy with his bare hands. His muscles flex and tense as the dummy is pulverized, head half off, and stuffing floating in the air around him. I see Cato and other Careers looking at him thoughtfully, probably wondering about asking him to join them. Thresh doesn't seem like the Career type, despite his huge size, more of a loner, hanging out at the edge of the crowd. Everyone knows he's there, but no one invites him into the inner circle, full of popularity, friends, everything I didn't have. But also there was a downside, one that I didn't think Thresh possessed, that was always in groups like the Careers. Terrorizing other people, whether through sheer numbers, or the force at which they gained obedience by the lesser of the surrounding people, the wannabes who wish their whole lives to be in the inner circle, but are always pushed down by terrorizers, smashed into little dust particles, until they have no sense of who the really are anymore… it was a pleasure to Careers. Thresh doesn't seem to have that trait, though. He seems like a person who would save a kid, then disappear into the night before anyone knows what happens. If someone hurt someone Thresh cared about, I wouldn't expect any mercy from him.

Before I know it, the training is over, and its time to go back to our floors. I collapse into bed after the long day, my consciousness leaves me as soon as I hit the pillow, and my eyes close happily for the deep sleep ahead. I disconcerting thought pops in my brain, wondering how many times I'll sleep this deeply before I die in the Arena, or if by some luck, win and be cursed with nightmares that haunt me for the rest of my life, forcing me to become a morphling, or something much worse, to forget the horrors of what I have seen in the Arena. But before I can linger on those thoughts, a blackness engulfs me and my mind shuts down for the night.


	8. Chapter 8: Authors Note

**Hey Hunger Games Fanfictioners. I'm taking a small break from Rue's Side because life is getting a little busy! But don't worry. I'll be back at it in no time!**


End file.
